Tag: comedy

GOOD HAIR played at the Iron Mule Comedy Short Film Festival in New York City on March 7th at the Alamo Drafthouse. When I pushed GOOD HAIR through the festival circuit last year, a few of the events were scheduled so far in advance that I nearly forgot about Iron Mule, but it was a welcome surprise to be programmed. Iron Mule looked like a wonderful event, and I wish we could have attended!

After enjoying an extended run on the festival circuit over the last year, notably at the Catalina Film Festival and Just For Laughs in Montreal as a guest of Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, GOOD HAIR has settled on a home for its online distribution. The romantic comedy short film is now available for free streaming on Amazon Video.

Kat Dee Holly and Fray Forde are currently forging ahead on their latest venture, FAMILY TRADITION, a short independent film about a delightfully dysfunctional family, set in Holly’s home of Gaffney, South Carolina. Coki Productions, previously known as Good Hair Entertainment, is currently undergoing a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise production funds. Please consider making a donation.

GIVE AND TAKE is an upcoming feature film written and directed by Andrew Shearer, a Nicholl Fellowship winning writer, and Screenwriting instructor at the Asheville School of Film. Shearer recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Seed&Spark to fund and self-produce his film project, a comedy documentary mashup about a father in the middle of a divorce who kidnaps his own daughter to save her from making a huge mistake which would ruin her life, a mysterious act that would become the big topic of gossip in their small town community.

Wow, the support so far we’re getting for GIVE AND TAKE is incredible! Shout outs to Thomas McCoy, Nicole Lachance, and…

I had the pleasure of helping out on the film’s pre-production process, specifically drawing up multiple drafts of the total budget for both above and below the line expenses. The crowdfunding campaign has already surpassed its halfway mark, and I look forward to seeing it earn its funds and be actualized in the coming months. Watch Andrew Shearer’s video pitch for GIVE AND TAKE embedded below.

GOOD HAIR was recently honored by being selected as a Top 20 finalist in the Just For Laughs comedy film festival, hosted by world famous comedian Kevin Hart and his upcoming LOL Network in association with Lionsgate. Voting is currently underway to identify the Top 5 films, which will go onto another round of voting to determine the final winner, who will receive a development deal with LOL Network to create a brand new comedy TV series! Go to contest.laughoutloud.com to watch the film and vote every day this week by inputting your email address(es)!

A post shared by Good Hair (@goodhair.ent) on Jul 8, 2017 at 9:38am PDT

Kevin Hart isn’t the only celebrity comedian showing support for GOOD HAIR. Rory Scovel also plugged the film and contest on Twitter. Scovel recently released his first Netflix special titled RORY SCOVEL TRIES STAND-UP FOR THE FIRST TIME which featured a cameo from GOOD HAIR’s Fray Forde. Scovel and Forde go way back to Greenville, SC where both launched their comedy careers. Rory’s brother Chaz, also a talented comic, was our Key PA on the set of GOOD HAIR.

A post shared by Good Hair (@goodhair.ent) on Jul 5, 2017 at 7:34am PDT

GOOD HAIR shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, so be on the lookout for more screenings near you, notably at the Comedy & Curls roadshow in Austin, Texas on July 13th at the New Movement Theater, and the San Antonio Film Festival on August 4th. Don’t forget to continue voting for GOOD HAIR in Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud contest here: contest.laughoutloud.com. Thanks for the support!

GOOD HAIR THE MOVIE recently screened at Films on Tap, the sixth event of its kind in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was hosted by comedian Blayr Nias in the tasting room of Birdsong Brewing Company. Each film was paired with a beer, and samples were passed around to the audience between screenings. GOOD HAIR was paired with the Doin’ Thyme Springtime Ale because of the couple’s transition from the winter into the springtime of their relationship, and Khi is doin’ time in the doghouse with Frankie for most of the movie. At least that’s our take on it.

A post shared by Good Hair (@goodhair.ent) on Apr 25, 2017 at 8:01am PDT

I traveled to Charlotte with Brittany Jackson and Madeleine Richardson, two of the founders of the Cat Fly Film Festival, as well as Jeff Alexander, leading actor in THE REPLICA RAID short, WHEN FACT MET FICTION web-series, and recent OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY film with Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman. At the event, we all reconnected with members of the GOOD HAIR THE MOVIE crew such as Andrew Bradford (DP), Thomas Propst (Sound), Cocaine (the puppy), and writers / directors / leading actors / power duo Catherine Dee Holly and Fray Forde.

A post shared by Good Hair (@goodhair.ent) on Apr 26, 2017 at 8:24am PDT

As visitors to Charlotte, we were amazed that nothing like Films on Tap currently exists in Asheville, NC, which has a plethora of potential venues for such an event. After all, Asheville held the “Beer City, USA” title for so many years and draws countless tourism to the city every year for its craft beer culture. With a little luck, I bet we see something like Films on Tap happen in Asheville soon enough.

THE REPLICA RAID has been released for online viewing via my Vimeo page.

The film premiered on April 1st, 2017 at the Comedy Night of the inaugural Cat Fly Film Festival. Jeff Alexander, the leading actor, was the host of the event, which successfully sold out just a few hours before the screening. THE REPLICA RAID is currently under consideration to play at the Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival as well as a number of other Sci-Fi oriented festivals around the country and world.

GOOD HAIR THE MOVIE has been selling out in advance for every screening so far, starting with the COMEDY & CURLS premiere in Atlanta, Georgia on 2/10 at the Highwire Comedy Co., follow up show on 2/27 at Highland Ballroom, and just most recently the Asheville, North Carolina screening at the Cat Fly Film Festival. Since we expect a similar turnout at the upcoming roadshow events, it would be wise to secure your tickets early! COMEDY & CURLS is touring in the following cities:

A post shared by Good Hair (@goodhair.ent) on Mar 30, 2017 at 11:30am PDT

GOOD HAIR is also slated to screen at the Films on Tap event in Charlotte, NC on Monday 4/24, conveniently one day after the COMEDY & CURLS event in the same city. Birdsong Brewing Co. is hosting Films on Tap this season, and a wonderful witbier called Doin’ Thyme has been selected to pair with the film in order show the characters’ transition from the winter of their relationship into the springtime. The programmers were nothing but supportive when we met at the pairing, and I am excited for an event that promotes two of my favorite things: film and beer!

Cat Fly Film Fest held its inaugural event over April Fools weekend in Asheville, North Carolina. The festival was an immense success, not only because it was a wonderful event for networking with other emerging filmmakers, but because it sold out all three nights! I know how hard the founders– Brittany Jackson, Madeleine Richardson, Keeley Turner, and Cat Wityk– worked to make the festival such a meaningful and memorable event, so the hype was all well deserved!

Opening Night presented a slew of dramatic shorts such as THE SMOKE TRILOGY which was co-directed by MJ Slide and GOOD HAIR’s own Catherine Dee Holly as well as BEATERS which I produced and Rome Widenhouse directed. The rest of the lineup was filled out by Asheville based filmmakers Kira Burksy, Katie Damien, Kendra Warren, Ryan DuVal, Wayne Wandering, and Amplified Media‘s Jared Kay.

The Asheville School of Film was gracious enough to allow us to host a workshop in their classroom space on Saturday morning which was led by myself and the aforementioned MJ Slide and Catherine Dee Holly. We talked about how to produce short films on a tight budget, focusing on the legal and logistical aspects of the production process that you simply can’t skimp out on no matter how large or small your budget, specifically how to strategize for indie films below or around $10,000 which is considered ultra-low budget by SAG-AFTRA standards.

Comedy Night was an absolute blast, especially with standup from Asheville locals Cory Thompson and Minori Hinds as well as Atlanta’s own Dedrick Flynn and Fray Forde, both primary actors in GOOD HAIR which screened later that night under the COMEDY & CURLS umbrella. The first film was my directorial debut THE REPLICA RAID, starring Jeff Alexander who hosted the event. Multiple web-series were also showcased, including Stefan Liner’s WHEN FACT MET FICTION which also starred Jeff Alexander across from Rebekah Babelay, and Andrew Vasco’s TRANSPLANTING, a series about a woman who adjusts to Asheville after moving from New York. Keeley Turner and Katie Damien also played comedic shorts.

The Filmmakers’ Brunch on Sunday morning was one of the more heartwarming and intimate affairs of the entire weekend. It was a pleasure to casually hang out over breakfast and mimosas with all the amazing creative people pictured above. I could list everyone in the photo, but I bet if I allow a few years, many of these faces will become very well known as the filmmakers and artists they strive to be.

The entire weekend was simply amazing, and it was all thanks to the talented team pictured above, especially the founders. None of this would have happened without their coordinated efforts and talents for marketing and event planning, as well as everyone who volunteered their time as festival staff. If the Asheville community didn’t want a classy film festival that honored local talent before, they surely recognize now that it was a niche that needed to be filled. Here’s to next year!

Last month, I came onboard as a producer on GOOD HAIR, a comedy about the millennial romantic experience. GOOD HAIR stars Catherine Dee Holly, an educating artist at both the Alliance Theatre and True Colors Theatre who has been featured in Comedy Central’s WORKAHOLICS, and comedian / actor Fray Forde who was part of the principal cast in the Atlanta based web-series QUARTER LIFE*, and has shared the stage with Hannibal Buress, Eric Andre, and TJ Miller.

GOOD HAIR involves an empty conditioner bottle which spawns what appears to be argument of the day for couple Frankie and Khi. After the argument, Khi seeks advice from his best friend Elijah, and attempts to remedy the situation with a romantic gesture for Frankie. Meanwhile, a conversation with Charlotte, Frankie’s best friend and Elijah’s wife, ignites Frankie’s existential crisis. GOOD HAIR explores a millennial long term relationship and the split ends along the way.

I initially provided constructive story and dialogue feedback where a few of my joke ideas found their way into the final script. In my notes, I suggested product placement could be beneficial for the conditioner bottle, so it wouldn’t be necessary to hide any labels while shooting. We secured a local Atlanta brand of conditioner called Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils, courtesy of the House of Cheatham.